Faisalabad: Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI) President Farooq Yousaf Sheikh said that the proposed 477-kilometer Faisalabad-Thallian-Tarujabba White Oil Pipeline project will transform the transportation of petrol and diesel to the upper regions by replacing hazardous road-based movement of fuel tankers with a modern, safer and more efficient pipeline corridor.
Welcoming the project, he termed it a landmark energy infrastructure initiative which would ensure more reliable and uninterrupted supply of petroleum products from Faisalabad towards Peshawar.
He said that the project, being undertaken jointly by the Frontier Works Organization (FWO) and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) with the support of Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), carried an estimated cost of $431. 31 million.
He said that the pipeline would generally run parallel to the motorway and it would be developed in two sections-Faisalabad-Thallian and Thallian-Tarujabba-creating a dedicated fuel transportation corridor towards the upper parts of the country.
He said that the pipeline would have an initial transportation capacity of 7 Million Tonnes Per Annum (MTPA) which could subsequently be enhanced to 10 MTPA in line with growing fuel demand.
The project would also be connected with Attock Refinery, Chak Pirana and Faqirabad, further strengthening the country’s petroleum supply infrastructure, he added.
He said that the project was expected to deliver benefits extending beyond the uninterrupted movement of fuel. By shifting petroleum transportation from road tankers to a dedicated pipeline network, it would help reduce logistics and fuel transportation costs, ease heavy traffic on highways, minimize the risk of accidents involving oil tankers and curb fuel adulteration, he added.
He said that the pipeline would also contribute to reduce environmental emissions associated with the transportation of petroleum products by road while providing a more dependable mechanism for moving large volumes of refined fuel over long distances.
He explained that the proposed project would build upon Pakistan’s existing White Oil Pipeline infrastructure. The Karachi-Faisalabad White Oil Pipeline network, owned by Pak-Arab Pipeline Company Limited (PAPCO), has been successfully operating since 2005, initially connecting Karachi with Mahmood Kot near Multan.
From Mahmood Kot, the Mahmood Kot-Faisalabad pipeline extends the network further north through Faisalabad. Both sections have already been upgraded to facilitate transportation of both diesel and petrol, he added.
Clarifying nature of the new project, FCCI President said that Faisalabad-Thallian-Tarujabba pipeline should not be viewed as a replacement for the existing pipeline network, rather, it would constitute a new extension of petroleum transportation infrastructure of the country, taking the existing network farther north beyond its current endpoint.
He said that the extension would ultimately enable different sections to function as one continuous and integrated energy transportation system, creating a stronger and more efficient supply chain for petroleum products from southern supply points of the country towards northern markets.
He said that development of modern fuel transportation infrastructure was imperative for reducing Pakistan’s dependence on road-based petroleum logistics and improving the efficiency, safety and reliability of national energy supply chain.
He welcomed the collaboration between FWO, PSO and SIFC in taking forward the project and expressed hope that its timely completion would provide a significant boost to fuel security, logistics efficiency and economic activity in Faisalabad and the upper regions.
